Mounting for electric switches



March 14, 1939. w. e. HARLOW MOUNTING FOR ELECTRIC SWITCHES Filed Aug.3, 1938 Inventor: Winton 6. Ha low, b 2

62] HS Attorney Patented Mar. id, 1939 PATENT OFFICE MOUNTING FORELECTRIC SWITCHES Winton G. Harlow, Springfield, Pa., assignor toGeneral Electric Company, a corporation-oi New York Application August3,

8 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in mountings for electric switchesand particularly disconnecting switches which are used to establish aconductive connection between two termi- 5' nals which althoughsubstantially parallel may not be in alignment.

Disconnectip'g switches particularlysuch as the hinged fiat blade typewith tongue or jaw contact require a nicety of register between themoving contacts in order to secure the maximum current carryingcapacity. Occasions arise where it is difiicult and costly to obtain thenecessary register. For example, with some types of circuit breakers,disconnecting switches com monly called subcell disconnecting switchesare arranged in a chamber or cell below the circuit breaker. In suchcases the disconnecting switch has one contact mounted-on the circuitbreaker terminal stud which projects through a wall of the sub-cell. Theother contact is mounted on a terminal which projects through theopposite wall of the cell. Obviously if the two terminals even thoughparallel are not in alignment, the desired register of disconnectingswitch contacts will not occur. While the terminal on the circuitbreaker and the terminal in the sub-cell can readily be madesubstantially parallel, it is at best a tedious and costly procedure toalign them. An object of my invention is to provide an improved switchmounting which eliminates such procedure.

In accordance with my invention, I eliminate such costly fitting andadjusting by a relatively inexpensive adjustable mounting for the switchcontacts whereby the necessary adjustment to secure the desired registerof contacts is easily and simply obtained for any misalignment ofterminals to be expected with reasonably good workmanship. This andother objects of my-invention will appear in more detail hereinafter.

My invention will be better understood when considered in connectionwiththe accompanying drawing, and its scope will be pointed out in theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates in perspective adisconnecting switch provided with mountings embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical elevation partly in section ofthe embodiment of myinvention shown in Fig. 1 as applied to a sub-cell disconnecting switch;and Fig.3 is a detail illustrating the adjustable feature of my switchmounting.

Referring now to the several figures of the drawing, two terminals I and2, which may be 55 respectively an outgoing terminal and the end 1938,Serial No. 222,872

of a circuit breaker stud, have between them a. conductive connectionwhich can be broken at will although not ordinarily while current isflowing. As shown, the conductive connection is a disconnecting switchcomprising one or more sets of relatively movable cooperating contacts 3and 4. The contacts 3 may comprise two parallel flat bars pivotallymounted at 5 on a hinge tongue 6 suitably secured to or forming a partof. a support 'I, As shown the stationary contact 4 is of the tonguetype and may be secured to or form a part of a support 8. Either one orboth of the supports 1 and 8 may be adjustably secured to the terminalsI and 2 in accordance with my invention as will hereinafter appear.Suitable means such as spring washers 9 may be used at the hinge andterminal ends of the blades 3 to provide the desired contact pressure.

The terminal I may be mounted in an insulator I which projects throughan opening in the cell wall II and is suitably secured thereto by aflanged member I2 and bolts- I3. Terminal 2, which may be the end of acircuit breaker stud, extends through an insulator III which projectsthrough an opening in the cell wall I4 and is suitably secured theretoby a flanged member I2 and bolts I3. In order to hold the disconnectingswitch in the closed position in the cell, it is provided with alatching means such as a latch I5 pivotally mounted at l6 on aprojection II of the blades 3. Also mounted on the blade projection I1is an'eye or ring member I8 which, when engaged by a switch-operatinghook and moved in a clockwise direction, first rotates at its pivotpoint I9 on the projection II to release the latch I5 and, upon furthermovement, actuates the blades 3 to the open position where they may beretained by a hook 20 pivotally depending from the support I to engage aprojection such as a pin 2| on the blades 3.

Obviously, even in the run of ordinary workmanship, it is too much toexpect that the terminals I and 2 will be in such alignment that theblades 3 will make good enough contact at the hinge and jaw ends toprovide the desired current carrying capacity if the supports I and 8are merely attached to the terminals without any allowance for offsetthereof. In order to take care of this probability'of lack of alignmentwithout the necessity of changing bolt holes, moving the circuit breakeror other expedients, I provide an adjustable mounting whereby either oneor both of the supports I and 8 may very readily be moved in anydirection at right angles to the associated terminal. As shown, thismounting is an eccentric type. It may take the form of a nut 22 whichscrews on to the threaded terminal and comprises a cylindrical portionor surface 23 which is eccentric to the terminal itself. The supports Iand 8 are provided with cylindrical apertures which engage thecylindrical surface 23 01' the nut 22 so that by relative movement ofthe nut on the support any desired offset or displacement of the supportrelatively to the terminal,

' within the range of adjustment of the eccentric,

may be provided.

In order to prevent any relative movement of the parts once this ofisetis adjusted to compensate for the misalignment of the terminals, the nut22 and the support or at least the portion thereof which engages the nut22 may both be slit as at 24 and 25 and the support provided with a drawbolt 26 the tightening of which maintains the parts in the desiredposition. While I have shown the nut 22 as provided with a hexagonalhead 21, it will be obvious that any other suitable arrangement may beprovided for turning the nut relatively to the terminal so as to securethe desired movement. While the eccentric adjustment feature may beprovided for only one terminal, a greater leeway in adjustment may beobtained if both terminals are similarly provided with an adjustmentfeature embodying my invention so as to permit the necessary adjustmentwithout any alteration in or movement of the circuit breaker, insulatorsor cell walls.

While I have shown and described my invention in considerable detail, Ido not desire to be limited to the exact arrangements shown, but seek tocover in the appended claims all those modifications that fall withinthe true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is:

1. In a mounting for a disconnecting switch comprising a movable contactand a cooperating stationary contact for establishing a conductiveconnection between two spaced terminals which may be misaligned and oneof which supports one of said contacts, means for adjustably positioningthe other of said contacts on the other of said terminals to correct forlack of alignment thereof whereby to insure the correct registeringaction of said contacts comprising an eccentric mounting for supportingsaid other switch contact on said other terminal.

2. In a mounting for a disconnecting switch comprising relativelymovable cooperating contacts for establishing a conductiveconnectionbetween two spaced terminals which may be misaligned and oneof which supports one of said contacts, means for adjustably supportingthe other of said contacts on the other of said terminals comprising aneccentric nut engaging said terminal and having an outer cylindricalsurface and a support for said other contact having a cylindricalaperture for engaging the cylindrical surface of said nut.

terminal and having an outer cylindrical surface and a support for saidother contact having a cylindrical aperture for engaging the cylindricalsurface of said nut, and means for preventin relative movement of thesupport, the nut, and said other terminal.

4. In a mounting for a disconnecting switch comprising a hinged fiatblade and a cooperating flat stationary contact for establishing aconductive connection between two spaced terminals which may bemisaligned, means for adjustably supporting the disconnecting switchblade on one of said terminals comprising an eccentric nut engaging saidone of said terminals and having an outer cylindrical surface, a supportfor the hinge of said blade having a cylindrical aperture for engagingthe cylindrical surface of said nut, and means for preventing relativemovement of the support, the nut, and the terminal.

5. In a mounting for a disconnecting switch comprising a hinged flatblade and-a cooperating fiat stationary contact for establishing a.conductive connection between two spaced terminals which may bemisaligned, means for adjustably supporting the disconnecting switchblade on one of said terminals comprising an eccentric nut engaging saidterminal and having an outer cylindrical surface, and a support for thehinge of said blade having a cylindrical aperture for engaging thecylindrical surface of said nut.

6. In a mounting for a hinged blade and cooperating stationary contactdisconnecting switch for establishing a conductive connection betweentwo spaced terminals which may be misaligned, means for adjustablysupporting the disconnecting switch blade on.one of said terminalscomprising an eccentric member engaging one of the terminals and amember concentric with and engaging said eccentric member andconstituting a support for the disconnecting switch blade, and means foradjustably supporting the stationary contact on the other of saidterminals also comprising an eccentric member engaging said otherterminal and a member concentric with an engaging said eccentric memberand constituting a support for the stationary contact.

7. In a mounting for a disconnecting switch comprising relativelymovable cooperating contacts for establishing a conductive connectionbetween two spaced terminals which may be misaligned, means foradjustably positioning the contacts of the switch on said terminals tocorrect for lack of alignment thereof whereby to insure the correctregistering action of said contacts comprising an eccentric mounting onone terminal for supporting one contact thereon and an eccentricmounting on the other terminal for supporting the other contact thereon.

8. In a mounting for a disconnecting switch .comprising relativelymovable cooperating contacts for establishing a conductive connectionbetween two spaced terminals which may be misaligned and one of whichsupports one of said contacts, means for adjustably supporting the otherof said contacts on the other of said-terminals comprising an eccentricmember engaging said other terminal and a member concentric with andengaging said first member and constituting a support for saidother'contact.

WINTON G. HARLOW.

